Finding Solace (Solangelo HS AU)
by TheBirdInsideTheCage
Summary: Mortal AU in which Nico attends a new high school alongside his friends and possible love interest. Ah, the perils of being a teenager. Contains strong language.
1. NICO

The end of the world wasn't as pretty as I though it'd be. My stepmom handed me lunch in a neatly folded brown paper bag. The words "I love you" scribbled in pen down the part that wasn't folded, which I planned on throwing away the second I left the house, anyway. Air pollution was heavy, but so was the idiot epidemic, so I figured that was normal.

Nope. The only thing apocalyptic was high school.

Grover, my friend-on-wheels, skidded to a stop in front of me. Or, skidded as much as you possibly can on a wheelchair decorated with "Go green, Go happy!" and "Save the planet or go to hell!" stickers. Okay, so maybe I paraphrased that last one a little. Grover is probably the nicest person you'd ever meet. I'm pretty sure he's a Buddhist or something.

"Nico," he said. "Nico. Nico. Nico. Have I ever told you how much absolutely, positively, reverently, and irreversibly in love with Wednesdays I am?"

"Er-" I said.

"No? Well, let me explain to you, kind sir, why I love days like today with an adoration that beats down upon me like a thousand burning suns."

"Are you drunk?" I asked.

Thalia, my other friend, came around the corner. Her choppy raven hair and her dewy eyes made her get mistaken for Winona Ryder more than a few times. Personally, I thought that if her defiant stance and punk persona was anything to go by, she looked more like a homicidal Avril Lavigne. "Of course he isn't," she said. "He has a wheelchair. He can't drink and drive. What are you idiots on about now?"

"I was just saying how much I ardently love Wednesdays." Grover said.

"That's nice," she said, and then turned to me and mouthed the words "Wednesday is enchilada day" which for some reason I guess turned Grover into some kind of sesquipedalian version of Noah Calhoun.

I nodded discretely. Today was my first day of Junior year at my new school. Before I graced these decaying halls I went to a place called Westover Hall, a name that in my experience is synonymous with the word hell. But then again, as far as I'm concerned hell is a place in your head that you bring around with you and I just happen to be the new and improved Charon catering to its needs. As far as I'm concerned, I always mess things up for both me and anyone close to me, but there's really no point in explaining more. I'd probably muck up an explanation too.

Honestly, the only reason why I have friends is because the lovable dickheads I have I met when I was still Happy Nico. The Before Nico. Now I'm just Aftermath Nico.

Anyway, apparently if you withdraw away from civilization enough, people around you get concerned and then those concerned people tell your usually absent parents and then those said usually absent parents send you away to a different school because maybe then people around you won't get concerned because maybe you'll actually socialize in a place with your old camp friends and therefore not withdraw from socialization to the point where concerned people contact said usually absent parents.

But then again, maybe not.

 **AN: I know it's short, but so is my patience. Constructive criticism makes me happy.**


	2. WILL

"If you don't hurry the frickity frackity up, you're gonna get attackity!" I yelled, slipping on a pair of sandals and grabbing my car keys from the glass coffee table.

"Dude," Cecil said as he emerged from the doorway. "I've been meaning to tell you your threats suck. Attackity? What are you going to do, smite me by smiling?" He took a bite of burnt toast as we left my house and walked onto the driveway. This probably seems really dumb and like something a ten year old would find cool, but my friends and I have this weird tradition of spending the last night of summer vacation together. In my defense, we started doing it when we were ten, so...yeah. It's tradition. You don't break tradition.

"You're both idiots," Lou Ellen chimed in as she walked outside and came to a stop at Cecil's side. Honestly. They take so long to get ready. Do I even want to know what they were doing in my bathroom?

Cecil pouted.

"Lovable idiots, but still idiots." She amended and Cecil perked back up.

Cecil and Lou Ellen have been my best friends since the prehistoric era known as pre-k. Now, as high school seniors, nothing has changed except for their relationship status.

"Woo!" I yelled. "First day! Now get in my van."

Cecil cracked up laughing. "Hey. I'm only seventeen. I'm too young to be kidnapped." He stopped when Lou Ellen smacked his forehead.

"Will," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just drive. It's too early for your guys's weird ass bullshit."

I smiled.

This was going to be a good year.

 **AN: Constructive Criticism makes me happy.**


	3. NICO II

I'm not saying that I would rather be dead than try to navigate my way through these narrow hallways cluttered with parasites, but I'm definitely saying it might be more pleasant.

Come to think of it, it might smell better too.

Thalia tugged at my sleeve and I tried not to wince as some clumsy freshman jabbed a three ring binder into my ribcage. He stared, wide eyed, before squeaking sharply.

"C'mon dork," she hissed. "The bell rang."

With a last minute glare at aforementioned freshie, I sighed and followed her and Grover, trying not to look too much at the tag sticking out of her black "Boy Tears Fuel Me" shirt. It bothered me. It really bothered me.

"Hey, Thals," I said. "I know you don't care about this kind of thing, but it makes you look like a third grader and it really, really bugs the ever living shit out of me. Your tag is-"

With a dull thud, I collided with something hard, my first hour chemistry book clanging to the ground with a reverberating smack.

"Hey," a concerned voice mumbled. "Hey, are you okay?"

I groaned, my brain slowly coming to terms with the fact that this hard thing my face was pressed against was in fact an actual human being who I probably had to talk to and do the whole "oh no, you're totally fine and it's okay" thing, only that's a lie. It's not all fine and dandy. Whoever you are, I hate you now. Way to ruin my day. I hope you die a horrible death plagued with dreams of running into steel framed buildings for the rest of your measly afterlife. You probably deserve it, Mr. Imma-Run-Over-You-And-Probably-Also-Your-Hopes-And-Dreams-Because-I'm-A-Monster-That-Way.

I scowled as strong arms grabbed my shoulders and gently pushed me back to get a good look at my face, frantic sky blue eyes roaming my features. His blonde brows furrowed in concern.

"I'm sorry. I'm Will. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Do you have a concussion? Don't worry one second, smol beano! I can help. After all, I'm practically a doctor!"


End file.
